The Kept Man Strikes Back Chapter 1 Novels & Stories

In the tenth year after I had married in his place, my brother, Thayer Ashford, suddenly returned. The whole family fell silent as they looked at him. He yawned as he spoke with careless ease, “I traveled through thirteen countries. I’m exhausted. “Where’s Seraphina? She should be in primary school by now, right? Why hasn’t she come to see me?” Seraphina was Thayer’s daughter. Back then, Thayer had abruptly announced he had a child. Yet on the very day of his wedding, he staged his own death, leaving behind Seraphina and his fiancée, Isolde Fairchild. The Fairchilds belonged to the old-money elite of the city. My parents did not dare offend them, so they decided to package me—fresh out of graduation—and send me to the wedding in Thayer’s place. Over these ten years, I became a competent husband and a responsible father. As my parents watched Thayer’s brazen composure, their gazes shifted toward me. I gave them a faint smile. “Sera went to Novaforge with Isolde.”

Warning: This book contains sexual contents that are not suitable for those under 18🔞🔞. Please proceed with caution. He was supposed to be a one-night stand. Now I’m holding a gun to his head and I still want to kiss him. I’m a hitman. Flirty, unhinged, and hired to kill the cold, powerful mafia boss I’ve been obsessed with for months. But the moment I see him again, shirtless and smug, everything falls apart. Instead of pulling the trigger, I give him a warning. Now we’re hunting down the person who ordered the hit while trying to keep our hands off each other. He’s dangerous. I’m worse. And between the bullets, betrayals, and bedroom threats… I still don’t know if I want to kiss him or kill him.

After I fell while pregnant, my six-year-old son, Nico Bertelli, did not come to help me. When I woke up, the baby in my belly was gone. At my hospital bedside, Nico hid behind my husband, Roberto Bertelli, and mumbled, "Mommy, I thought you fainted on purpose to get my attention. You've pretended to pass out a few times before just to stop me from going out with Ms. Pelosi." Roberto chimed in coldly, "You're always pulling tricks to get attention. Nico doesn't even trust you anymore. You need to take a hard look at yourself and figure out why he prefers being around Martina Pelosi over you." I was completely heartbroken. The day after I was discharged, I went home, packed up everything that belonged to me, and left behind only two documents: a divorce agreement and a letter terminating my parental rights.

# Iron Valley Neah is human, living in a world that was never hers. After her parents die in a car crash when she is fifteen, her mother's best friend—the Luna of the Iron Valley Pack takes her in. Neah grows up alongside Caleb, the future Alpha, training with warriors, earning her place through grit and stubbornness alone. She has plans: college, business school, a life built on her own terms. She knows she will never have a mate. She knows she doesn't belong. Then everything shatters. Caleb finds his true mate and Neah is cast aside overnight. Wolves from rival packs show up at the border asking for her by name. A half-dead Alpha from the most powerful pack in three territories crashes into her life claiming *she* is his mate. And a phone call from a voice she buried three years ago delivers an impossible truth—her mother is alive, her father's death was no accident, and someone has been watching her since the day of the crash, waiting for the right moment to collect. Liam Ashford, the ruthless young Alpha of Shadow Peak, never wanted a mate. He watched the bond destroy his father and nearly destroy his pack. But his wolf dragged him across three territories to a human girl with no wolf, no rank, and no idea how valuable she really is. Neah doesn't need a mate. She needs answers. But the closer she gets to the truth, the more she realizes the bond she keeps rejecting may be the only thing standing between her and the people who want her dead. What is it about a ordinary human girl that has every powerful wolf in the region willing to kill or die to claim her?

In the second month of my relationship with my best friend Sophie Vaughn's older brother, Elias Vaughn, Thanksgiving arrives. Sophie leans in, eyes gleaming with mischief. "Elias is bringing his girlfriend home for the holiday. Let's see what all the fuss is about." I take my time getting ready, heart fluttering with hope. Just maybe, I'll finally be formally introduced as his girlfriend. But the moment I step inside, I see him with another elegant, beautiful woman, smiling as he introduces her to his parents. "This is my girlfriend," he says. He then inadvertently looks over at me, stiffening for a moment, clearly caught off guard. But just as quickly, he recovers and turns to the woman beside him. "That woman over there is my sister's friend and a part-time student. You could say she's a maid in our household." A maid? As it turns out, I'm nothing more than someone for him to kiss and sleep with. I was never someone worthy of standing by his side publicly. I turn away and board the train back to Ashcroft University, choosing my future over another night in his bedroom.

Marrying the love of her life was a dream come true—until Kassia found out he couldn’t stand virgins. Terrified of ruining her marriage before it even began, she turned to a secret establishment that promised to teach her how to satisfy a man like a pro. But she didn’t expect to meet Derrick…her dangerously irresistible instructor who lit her body on fire with a single touch. What started as a lesson turned into an obsession. Now she’s married, pregnant… and the baby isn’t her husband’s. With guilt eating her alive and two powerful men fighting for her, Kassia must face the truth. One owns her heart, the other owns her vows… She's stuck between two powerful men, with a child caught in the middle. And it’s only a matter of time before it all explodes.

The first thing I did after rebirth was follow my husband, Franklin Wallace, to the island for his military deployment. In my previous life, as a spoiled rich heiress from a wealthy family, I looked down on Franklin, the commander my family had arranged for me to marry. We fought constantly, huge arguments every few days, small quarrels in between. After having children, I grew to resent our two kids simply because they carried Franklin's blood. Later, when Franklin was ordered to be stationed on the island, I was the first to stand up and object to going with him. Since I opposed it, Franklin did not force me. He took our two kids and his widowed sister-in-law, Elsie Faulkner, to the island instead. Meanwhile, my spoiled and rebellious self could not wait to throw myself into the arms of my first love, Reuben Sandoval, once Franklin left. However, it did not take long before I discovered Reuben was nothing but a gold-digging scumbag who only wanted my money and body. He gave me an STI and drained my family fortune completely. When Franklin returned from the island with our children, they no longer recognized me as their mother and affectionately called Elsie "Mommy" instead. He even told me he had fallen in love with Elsie during their time together on the island. Eventually, I ended up homeless on the streets and starved to death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day Franklin was about to leave for his island deployment.

Seraphina Vale spent her life playing the perfect wife—quiet, obedient, unseen. Until one night, she breaks every rule she’s ever lived by and meets the wrong man. Lucien Blackwood doesn’t do love. He does power, revenge, and control—and he never planned on falling for a woman whose life he’s about to upend. When secrets unravel, betrayals ignite, and empires clash, Seraphina must decide: stay a pawn in a game she never asked to play—or claim the life—and the man—she truly deserves. She slept with the wrong man. Turns out he might be the only right one.

After going extra miles to disobey her narcissist mother, Kate got pregnant for the wrong person. She should have followed the cheating crush she loved but would she be happy?

With the rise of a new crime lord who calls himself the 'Silent Man', Goldfinch is brought to disruptions. A small town in west California, known for being home to numerous criminals. However, no villain in the history of Goldfinch has come close to being as sinister as the Silent Man. Four friends, convinced they can defeat the Silent Man and bring their town to peace, start their adventurous journey, not aware of the tests and life-threatening events the rough road holds for them.